Daughters of Constantinople
by Allanna Stone
Summary: Ezio is still mourning the death of Cristina when two orphaned girls catch his attention. After learning that they lost their parents in the Bonfire of the Vanities, he takes them in, however, Ezio had not been anticipating the surprises and hardship of being a father…
1. Chapter 1

**Daughters of Constantinople**

 **I do not own Assassin's Creed.**

 **SUMMARY:**

 **Ezio is still mourning the death of Cristina when two orphaned girls catch his attention. After learning that they lost their parents in the Bonfire of the Vanities, he takes them in, however, Ezio had not been anticipating the surprises and hardship of being a father…**

Ezio Auditore da Firenze sighed as he stepped through the crowded Florentine streets. Today was market day, and there were men leading mules laden down with spices and cloth, women looking after stalls and children running underfoot.

The nobleman sighed again as he ignored the people around him, yet aware of where people were and what they were doing.

"Cristina," he murmured, recalling the brutal murder of his love. He could still feel her in his arms, dying from the wound to her stomach.

Just then, something rammed into his legs. He tensed, glancing down to see a young girl, no older than eight years.

"Help me," she begged before the angry screech of a woman overpowered the market noise. A mean looking woman in dark green flew out from one of the buildings surrounding the market plaza and went straight for her, holding a wooden spoon in one hand.

"Farti tornare qui piccolo ladro!" she screamed as the girl hid behind Ezio's legs.

"If you gave Benedetta a fair meal then I wouldn't need to steal from you!" the girl hiding behind Ezio's legs retorted hotly.

"Who's Benedetta?" Ezio asked her, his glare sending the furious woman into a calmer state of mind.

"My sister," she mumbled, rubbing at an eye with a dirty hand. Ezio then realized that the dress she was wearing was no more than rags patched together. He felt his heart go out to her.

He turned to face the woman. "Who are you?"

The woman seeing that Ezio was a wealthy nobleman, changed her tactics.

"I run the orphanage," she explained in a weary voice, guestering to the ramshackle building behind her.

Ezio then turned back to the girl, kneeling so that he was at eye level with her.

"Where are your parents?" he asked her kindly.

"In heaven," she mumbled, avoiding his eyes.

He then made a decision.

"Go get Beredetta," he told in a firm voice. "I'm taking you home with me."

The girl's eyes widened and she scampered inside, leaving Ezio and the woman alone to talk.

"Her name is Isabella," she explained. "Both her and Benedetta came to live here about two years ago. They don't speak much about before they arrived, but from what I gathered, they witnessed the murder of their parents during the Bonfire of the Vanities."

Ezio's heart flew out to the two sisters as he heard more about their tragic tale. A part of him wondered what he was getting himself into by taking in two orphan girls.

Isabella appeared just then with Benedetta in her arms and a small bag tossed over her back as she staggered under the weight of her little sister.

Ezio took little Benedetta into one arm and grasped Isabella's hand before nodding to their previous keeper and leading the way to a better life for the two sisters.

 **Translations:**

 **farti tornare qui piccolo ladro~ get back here you little thief**


	2. Chapter 2

**Daughters of Constantinople**

 **I do not own Assassin's Creed.**

 **SUMMARY:**

 **Ezio is still mourning the death of Cristina when two orphaned girls catch his attention. After learning that they lost their parents in the Bonfire of the Vanities, he takes them in, however, Ezio had not been anticipating the surprises and hardship of being a father…**

Isabella had asked Ezio if she and Benedetta could share a room, and he had to say yes to the simple request and had given the two sisters the room next to his.

"Please let me know if you need anything," he told Isabella, who was picking at her falling apart rag dress. "Starting with a bath, perhaps?"

Half an hour later, both Isabella and Benedetta were scrubbing themselves clean while Ezio watched with a bemused expression. He had turned down his servants' help in getting them clean, and was enjoying the first memories of fatherhood.

Benedetta was having fun with dumping the water onto her head, washing away caked mud and dust from her hair, which turn out to be a dark strawberry blonde color. Isabella, on the other hand, had dark brown~ black curls. Both had startling blue eyes and fair skin with freckles.

Ezio smiled, at last able to see the two girls' faces. They were strikingly adorable, in a childlike innocent way.

Isabella was helping Benedetta wash off soap, reminding Ezio of how his relationship was with his younger sister, Claudia.

A splash of water aimed at him bought the nobleman from his thoughts and a playful smirk took over his face.

"Come here, you!" And with that, he swooped down on a giggling Benedetta and plucked her from the tub. The four year old girl shrieked with laughter as he pretended to eat her tummy, which only felt natural to him to do, as how his father did it to him when he was a child.

Isabella quietly dried herself with one of the thick, fluffy towels that the servants had provided them with and surveyed all the water that had escaped the tub.

"Don't worry about cleaning up," Ezio spoke of her concerns, drying off a squealing Benedetta with care. "Here, you can wear these for now." He handed her one of his shirts, which made Isabella look like she was swimming in the oversized garment.

A knock at the door bought their eyes to a young servant boy.

"Mi scusi me but Maestro Taillor is here," he announced before ducking to get back to his duties.

 **mi scusi~ excuse me**

 **maestro~ master**


	3. Chapter 3

**Daughters of Constantinople**

 **I do not own Assassin's Creed.**

 **SUMMARY:**

 **Ezio is still mourning the death of Cristina when two orphaned girls catch his attention. After learning that they lost their parents in the Bonfire of the Vanities, he takes them in, however, Ezio had not been anticipating the surprises and hardship of being a father…**

An hour after Maestro Taillor had left the villa, leaving the girls with a few dresses to last them until he had completed their new wardrobes, Ezio learned how difficult Isabella and Benedetta could be if the other wasn't within a comfortable distance.

He had only suggested that Isabella go investigate the kitchen and see what was for the evening meal and catch up with Benedetta and him in the gardens.

The four year old began to wail, leaving Isabella to comfort her hysterical sister.

"I'm not going anywhere, Benedetta," she promised the crying girl. "I promise."

After a brief five minute tantrum, Benedetta was back to smiling and giggling happily, leaving the nobleman feeling confused.

He watched as both girls frolicked in the back gardens, he keeping an eye on them from the kitchen, where he was asking the motherly cook a few questions about fatherhood.

"Well, from what you've told me, those girls are all they have left of their past," she was saying as she kneeded dough.

This made sense for Ezio.

After the evening meal, he was in his study, reading a book on welding and the girls were in front of his chair, giggling as they played a game with a string and their hands.

"Benedetta can't talk," Isabella announced out of the blue. Ezio set his book down to show that he was paying close attention to her. "Before... before that day..." Her voice wavered, but she still pressed on. "She would talk day in and day out. But then she stopped after what happened..."

Isabella sniffed and Benedetta hugged her big sister, resting her head against the eight year old's shoulder.

Ezio patted his knee as an invitation, one that both girls took up, scrambling to perch on his lap with his strong arms wrapped around both girls.

"I too lost someone dear to me during the Bonfire of the Vanities," he began in a soft voice. "She was my angel, sent to me from God."

"Did you love her?" Isabella asked as Benedetta rested her head onto Ezio's chest.

"Yes," he answered in barely a whisper before seeing that Benedetta had fallen asleep. He smiled. "I think it's bedtime, bambine."

He carried both girls up into their room, tucked them in, kissed their foreheads and wished them pleasant dreams before heading off into his room for the night.

 **bambine~ little girls**


	4. Chapter 4

**Daughters of Constantinople**

 **I do not own Assassin's Creed.**

 **SUMMARY:**

 **Ezio is still mourning the death of Cristina when two orphaned girls catch his attention. After learning that they lost their parents in the Bonfire of the Vanities, he takes them in, however, Ezio had not been anticipating the surprises and hardship of being a father…**

Ezio quickly found himself adjusting to fatherhood as though it were second nature to him. Every morning, he would wake up to Isabella and Benedetta creeping into his room to snuggle in bed with him and watch the sun rise.

"We did it with mama and papa," Isabella whispered to him on the first morning, and he quickly embraced their routine.

He has also taken to tutoring the two sisters about language and architecture, reading and writing, history and poltics. They were quick learners and very eager to please, he noted, taking their studies seriously.

"Ezio!" boomed a loud voice on one of those lessons. The nobleman paused in the middle of his sentence, standing and told both girls to work on their letters.

"Uncle Mario!" Ezio greeted the man warmly as he descended downstairs to reach the front hall. Uncle and nephew exchanged firm handshakes before the older man charged straight into the conversation.

"Is it true?" he asked.

"Is what true?" Ezio answered, puzzled by his uncle's odd question.

Just then, Isabella and Benedetta skipped downstairs, holding hands and clutching papers close to their chests.

"I wrote my name!" Isabella proudly announced, holding out her sheet of paper, where in childish penmanship, ISABELLA had been written.

"So it is true, then," Mario chuckled as Benedetta hid behind Isabella at the very big and boisterous man. Isabella and her little sister found themselves side by side with Ezio.

"Uncle Mario, this is Isabella and Benedetta," Ezio introduced the two girls by placing a hand on top of their heads as they both smiled shyly at the man.

"After four sons, I can now see why my wife wanted a little girl," he stated.

Benedetta pressed herself into Ezio's legs, nervous around the newcomer as her older sister carefully examined him.

Mario was a well fed man in his mid fifties, with slowly graying hair and warm eyes. His smile was friendly and he looked nice enough.

"Hello," mumbled Isabella in a quiet voice.

The man seemed to pick up the cues that both girls were nervous around him and with a quiet groan, he knelt down so that way he was more at eye level with them.

"Hello, _bellissimos_ ," he cheerfully greeted them. "How old are you?"

"I'm eight, Benedetta is four," answered Isabella in a tiny voice. The younger sister bashfully held up four fingers to show him.

Ezio's heart clenched upon learning their ages.

They're still babies, he thought. And yet, they've been through so much.

His mind automatically did the math and his heart thundered in his chrst when he realized that if Cristina had stayed with him, then they might've had children around Isabella and Benedetta's age.

But no, she had to marry Manfredo Soderini, he thought with bitter anger. Oh how he wanted to murder the man, his love of gambling rivaled a love worthy of Cristina. But after scaring Manfredo Soderini with death if he did not get in control of his addiction, Ezio returned to Cristina and spent one last night with her.

Ezio snapped back into the present, where Isabella was talking to Mario about geometry, her favorite subject, and Benedetta was still hanging onto Ezio's leg with curious caution.

Ezio chuckled and picked up the four year old child, setting her on his hip like he had seen his servants do plenty of times with their own children.

Mario grinned upon seeing his nephew interacting with the little girl. With a grunt of pain, he stood back up.

"Not a word about it," Ezio found himself saying. "I don't want that life for them."

Mario seemed to understand what his nephew was saying. With a small chuckle, the older man patted Ezio on the shoulder.

"Still think about it," he urged his nephew. "It may save their lives."

Bellissimos~ beautifuls


	5. Chapter 5

**Daughters of Constantinople**

 **I do not own Assassin's Creed.**

 **SUMMARY:**

 **Ezio is still mourning the death of Cristina when two orphaned girls catch his attention. After learning that they lost their parents in the Bonfire of the Vanities, he takes them in, however, Ezio had not been anticipating the surprises and hardship of being a father…**

"Come on, Benedetta!" Isabella shouted as she ran up ahead, pausing when she realized that her little sister wasn't following her. She turned and grinned as the little girl toddled up to her, her plump legs running as fast as they could to catch up with her older sister.

"Stay close by, girls!" Ezio called out as he ambled along, keeping a close eye on the two sisters as they both ran around and frolicked in the beautiful Florentine sun. It was a lovely day out and Ezio had decided to take the girls out on a walk instead of cooping them up inside.

Isabella giggled and hopped up onto the bridge wall and sat, swinging her legs and humming. Little Benedetta, not wanting to be separated, whined and held her arms up. The older sister picked up the little girl and set her next to her, keeping an arm wrapped around her waist.

The next few seconds happened too fast for Ezio to take in. one second, little Benedetta was giggling at something that Isabella had said, the next second, she had fallen into the river.

"Benedetta!" Isabella shrieked as Ezio raced over to the bridge and leaned over, trying to find the little girl. "She can't swim!"

Ezio's heart stopped at those words.

Little Benedetta's head popped up out of the water at that moment and disappeared a second later. Ezio heard something splash into the water a little ways off, but he was paralyzed with fear and couldn't understand what was happening.

A dog dove under the water and came back up with little Benedetta holding onto its neck and began to paddle towards shore. Ezio snapped himself out of the panicked state he was in and rushed to collect her. He reached the riverbank just as the dog was dragging to crying little girl onto the dirt. The dog shook itself off before beginning to lick her face.

"Benedetta!" Isabella shouted, scrambled down the slope and hugging her sopping wet sister, who was shaking with cold. Ezio shed his cape and wrapped it around the shivering girl before standing. He didn't notice that the dog remained close by the chattering girl in his arms as he rushed her home for a bath and early bedtime.

When he arrived at the villa, the servants took one look at the wrapped girl in his arms and jumped into action- filling a tub with hot water and laying out a fresh nightgown for her to wear. Ezio wasted no time at all in getting her undressed and into the tub. He told Isabella to go into the kitchen and ask the cook for a warm meal, which made Benedetta a bit fussy at not having her sister nearby.

Isabella was in the room that the sisters shared, adjusting the bed skirts when Ezio came in with the little girl wrapped in a warmed blanket and dressed in her nightgown. The eight year old girl looked up as Ezio tucked Benedetta into bed and began to feed her a chicken broth that the cook had whipped up. Already the four year old was flushed and glassy eyed.

"I'm so sorry Benedetta, this is all my fault," sobbed Isabella, sitting next to her sister and finger combing her wet hair. Benedetta frowned and shook her head before shutting her eyes, a rattling death escaping her nose.

Ezio felt her forehead before drawing the blankets up to her chin.

"She had a fever," he announced in a soft voice. "Come, we should let her rest."

Isabella followed him, glancing behind her at her bed before leaving the door open a crack.

All throughout lunch, she was antsy, fidgeting in her seat and nibbling at a roll. Her eyes darted over to the staircase on many an occasions, leaving Ezio feeling sorry for her. He knew that Benedetta would survive a simple cold, but he still understood the worry that Isabella had for her little sister.

As soon as the meal was over, Isabella bolted up the stairs, telling Ezio that she wanted to read a book that she had found in his library. Ezio didn't say anything- he knew that Benedetta would be in capable hands.


	6. Chapter 6

**Daughters of Constantinople**

 **I do not own Assassin's Creed.**

 **SUMMARY:**

 **Ezio is still mourning the death of Cristina when two orphaned girls catch his attention. After learning that they lost their parents in the Bonfire of the Vanities, he takes them in, however, Ezio had not been anticipating the surprises and hardship of being a father…**

Benedetta recovered from the head cold and the near drowning experience, much to Isabella's relief. However, Ezio was busy with a mystery of his own- the cook had told him that some meat scraps she had tossed away had vanished from bin where she had tossed them. Ezio was certain that someone had taken the meat scraps, as how no animal he knew of could get into the scraps bin.

Meanwhile, Benedetta and Isabella had been spending a lot of time holed up in their bedroom, talking and giggling. Ezio had thought nothing of it and had left them to themselves.

Late one night, Ezio was woken by the sound of glass breaking.

"What was that?" he asked himself, swinging his legs out of bed and standing. He took up his sword and crept out into the hallway, being silent as a shadow as he headed downstairs.

When he reached his study, he saw a light shining through the crack of the door. He went to push open the door only to have something slam into his head and knock him out cold.

Isabella and Benedetta were both shaken awake by their dog growling and bolting out of their room, where they had managed to hide him for two weeks. Isabella went to follow the dog only to hear someone saying something that chilled her to the bone.

" _Pensavo che mi hai detto che non ci avrebbe sentito_?" growled one man.

" _Ho preso cura di lui_!" snapped another.

" _Dannati assassins- hanno orecchie di un coniglio_ -" muttered the first man before the dog barked.

The next few minutes were filled with fear as the dog growled and snapped. Isabella held Benedetta tight as the two girls hid under their bed, their minds racing with scenarios of what was going on.

After what seemed to be several hours but was actually about ten minutes, the dog returned to their bedroom, his muzzle flecked with blood. The dog immediately located the girls and crawled under the bed, whining when he realized that due to his massive size and that both girls were huddled underneath his hiding place, he couldn't fit entirely underneath the bed.

Isabella and Benedetta both crawled out from their hiding place and the dog began to comfort them, licking their faces and snuggling up next to them.

A few minutes later, Ezio stumbled into the girl's bedroom, holding his bleeding forehead and his face lined with worry and concern. The sight that met him made his stop in his tracks.

"Good dog," Isabella whispered in a terrified voice, hugging a shaking Benedetta close to her side. The little four year old girl clutched to the dog, holding on with her arms wrapped around its neck as the dog licked the little girl, trying to comfort her. "Ezio!"

The man stumbled into their room before having little Benedetta attack his legs in a hug.

"What happened?" the eight year old girl asked as the dog followed Benedetta, sitting at Ezio's feet and whining.

"I was knocked out," he explained, wincing at the pain in his head. "When I woke up, I saw that the burglars had fled- there was blood everywhere…" He straightened himself up. "I need to go and report this. You girls stay here and you-" he turned to the dog, kneeling so that they were at eye level. "Keep an eye on them."

The dog barked softly before turning to jump up onto the bed and curl himself around Isabella. Benedetta crawled up into bed, needing some help from Isabella, and snuggled herself next to the dog.

Ezio sighed as he returned to his room to get dressed.

At least he now knew where the missing meat scraps had gone.

 **TRANSLATIONS**

" _Pensavo che mi hai detto che non ci avrebbe sentito_?"~ "I thought you told me he wouldn't hear us?"

" _Ho preso cura di lui_!"~ "I took care of him!"

" _Dannati assassins- hanno orecchie di un coniglio_ -"~ "Damned assassins- they have ears of a rabbit-"


	7. Chapter 7

**Daughters of Constantinople**

 **I do not own Assassin's Creed.**

 **SUMMARY:**

 **Ezio is still mourning the death of Cristina when two orphaned girls catch his attention. After learning that they lost their parents in the Bonfire of the Vanities, he takes them in, however, Ezio had not been anticipating the surprises and hardship of being a father…**

Bruno quickly became a beloved member of the family, where the mastiff would give Benedetta rides around the villa and curl up with Isabella when she was reading. Ezio also found himself becoming rather attached to the protective and loyal dog, who would follow the girls wherever they went, much like a shadow. He also found himself relaxing and letting the girls go outside to run around with only Bruno to watch over them. He trusted Bruno to keep the girls out of trouble and safe.

One night, when Isabella was reading to Benedetta, Bruno's ears perked up and he let out a soft bark before scrambling up and trotting from the study, leaving Isabella and Benedetta to scramble after their guard dog.

Ezio sighed and closed the book he was reading and stood. He followed the sound of soft whines and soon found himself greeting his Uncle Mario, who had stopped by to visit.

"Ezio, I didn't know that you had also adopted a dog," the older man teased his nephew with a grin as he rubbed the dog behind his ears. Isabella and Benedetta were giggling as Bruno's tail wagged in a fast blur at being shown affection.

"It just happened," Ezio confessed before seeing the wrapped parcels that his uncle was holding and raised an eyebrow at them.

The man grinned sheepishly before handing the parcels off towards Isabella and Benedetta, who gleefully dove into the presents. Mario had gotten a doll for Benedetta and books for Isabella, both who gleefully thanked him for his kind gifts.

Ezio shook his head at his uncle, who enjoyed spoiling both girls with gifts, before Bruno growled and charged out of the room. Ezio followed, telling the girls to stay with their uncle.

He came to the gates of the villa and frowned at a seedy looking man who looked to have been looking for something.

"Can I help you with something?" Ezio asked, not liking the way the man's eyebrows twitched.

"My dog," he stated plainly, pointing to Bruno, whose hackles were raised as his growls raised in pitch.

"He saved my life," Ezio told in shortly. "Is he for sale?"

"I sell to you for fifteen pieces of Florentine silver," the man told him in broken English. Ezio shook his head as he counted out the money and handed it to him through the gate and watched as he went about his way.

Ezio glanced down at Bruno, who had stopped growling as soon as the man had vanished and had returned to his normal self. When the Florentine nobleman returned inside, he found that Isabella had told Mario about how they came to have Bruno as a part of their family and the man was smiling.

"I'd say that you have a thing for taking in strays," Mario teased his nephew gently, causing for the man to scoff and wave his hand.

"It's the least I could do for Bruno," he defended himself with a small smile, watching as Benedetta got up onto Bruno's back and rode him around like a pony. "Besides, the girls love him- if I sent him away, they would've been heartbroken."

Mario chuckled at his nephew's words before taking Ezio aside.

"Do you have any idea of what they were after?" he asked softly.

Ezio sighed, casting an eye at both girls, who were occupied by Bruno.

"I have a suspicion," he answered in a low voice. "In my office are the papers for me to legally adopt Isabella and Benedetta. I haven't told anyone of what I'm planning, except for my lawyer, and he wouldn't ever tell anyone."

Mario went to open his mouth only to be silenced by Ezio giving him a cold look.

"The lawyer's name is Aldous Nenci, a fellow assassin," Ezio whispered in a soft voice. "I've known him for years. Trust me, he wouldn't do such a thing."

"Ah, Aldous," Mario smiled at the name. "I know him well, he's a good man."

"Which is why I'm having him handle the adoption process for me." Ezio straightened up and turned back to the sisters, who were still playing with Bruno. Isabella had her books clutched to her chest and Benedetta had her new doll riding in front of her.


End file.
